Master of reversibles | Yara Bin Shakar for Boksha.com

Jun 25,2019 Zahra Rose Leave a Comment

Today we take the opportunity to talk to one of our featured designers here at www.boksha.com. This designer is more often described as the ‘The master of reversibles’ and has recently showcased her fashion forward collection in Arab fashion week — Yara Bin Shakar.

How long ago did you start the brand and what inspired you to create your mark in the fashion industry?

I started the brand right after I graduated in 2013, I’ve always had a passion for art as my mom is an artist and my father was always very supportive of my mother’s profession as an so they both supported my passion for creativity. I grew up in a home that appreciates and sees art as a career. I always knew I would be in a creative field but didn’t know exactly what I wanted to study. I did my research and found out that University of Sharjah has Bachelors for Fashion and Textile and it all just clicked! I did not hesitate for a second, I applied, worked hard and knew that once I was done I would start my own brand right away. I started working alone on my pieces in my small studio that my father built me in our front yard and it snowballed from there.

How extensive is your background in design? & what is your design process? I graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Fashion & textile. I learnt how to make my garments from A to Z (design, make a pattern, create a print, cut and stitch) but I still find myself learning something new everyday, the learning never stops. My design process normally starts with fabric sourcing, that is how I get the majority of my inspiration. I get all my swatches then start sketching down my ideas. Of course, we have to research the trends and all, but I also sometimes avoid that so that I can give myself the freedom to design from a place of passion. Putting a collection together isn’t easy, and it’s important to create a story rather than just putting pieces together for the sake of it. so, after the fabric sourcing and designing I start working on the colour mood then we start production.

What you say was the most challenging vision you had for the business — be it a design in the collection or anything else?

The most challenging thing I have faced was the business side of it all, since I hadn’t had a background in it before starting my brand; it really is not easy, and you have to roll with the punches and that’s how I best learn. Another challenge that I faced was making my mark on my designs; when someone sees a piece, I would want them to immediately identify it as Yara Bin Shakar piece. There are a lot of young and upcoming designers in this region so it’s hard to be able to find your spot, you really have to fight to prove yourself within the industry.

What inspired you to create clothing sets (travel set, abaya’s set etc)?

Diversity & Simplicity. I know how annoying it is to wake up to work every day and think, ‘what am I going to wear today?’ and you spend around half an hour deciding just to put together an outfit. I struggled with that a lot especially when I travel. For a long time, I thought that I packed efficiently but in reality 85% of what I packed doesn’t go together and it’s a headache figuring out what to wear, and so my aim was to make it easy for myself firstly and also for my clients. That’s why I focus on sets and reversible pieces, and I make sure that you can mix and match between our sets. So you get more options and spend less time on having to put your outfits together.

It’s evident in your designs that you love the use of drape, do you prefer it too flat pattern cutting techniques?

I actually do not use the drape technique a lot, I mostly use flat pattern cutting and mix in some draping if necessary. I use a bit of both but it’s mostly flat pattern cutting.

From looking at the current collection my two favourite have to be the Ariel dress, and the Gaia, both are so flattering and feminine while maintaining and elements of tradition, do you use culture to inspire your designs?

Thank you! Yes of course I always keep our culture and tradition in mind when designing. I think it’s very important to cater to your region. Modesty is beautiful and that’s why most of my pieces cater to those needs, of course there are some pieces here and there that aren’t, but the majority of our collection is and you will always find an option in our collection to make it more or less modest. For example, the Ariel is very modest in the front but not so much on the sides and the back, but you can easily find an abaya or cardigan in our showroom or in our Boksha store that will look stunning with it for a more covered look. The Gaia abaya set is my favourite as well, the whole set is reversible (abaya and inner dress) making it a very versatile piece, I have combined the two things I mostly specialize in which is our signature multi wrap technique & reversibility in one set which make this one set have more than 5 different looks.

What would you say is your biggest design challenge?

My biggest design challenge is having to create a whole new collection each season and giving myself all the freedom that I need while still maintaining our signature looks; it’s a challenge that I accept and fully take on to always have at least two to three reversible pieces in my collection and they have to be completely different than the collection before.

Who inspires you the most in your life?

My parents. They taught us how to be hard working, appreciative, open, different, accepting and most of all taught us to love what we do. My mother and father gave us a lot of love growing up and supported any passion we chose which means the world to my sister, brother and me.

What do vision do you have for Yara Bin Shakar in the coming years?

To go global and expand my brand.